The instant invention relates to packaging materials, and more particularly to a platen for stacking wheeled articles on top of each other for storage and/or display.
The subject invention has particular application in the stacking of wheeled articles such as toy shopping carts, which are well known in the toy art. One of the problems that has been encountered by retail establishments that sell toy shopping carts is the display of the toy shopping carts in a confined area. Since the carts have wheels located at the bottom thereof, the carts tend to roll when placed on a floor or other display surface, and further there is no provision for normally locating one cart on top of another in stacked relation in order to display the carts in a relatively small area. One approach that has been taken by the retailers is to only display one floor model and to have customers request a sale model to be brought out from storage for purchase. This method of display however is not conducive to impulse sales because the customer must page a sales associate who must then retrieve a shopping cart from storage and deliver it to the customer.
The instant invention provides a platen which attaches to the wheels of the shopping cart to prevent movement of the cart on a flat surface and further to provide a flat stacking surface which can be received on top of the basket of another cart. The platen comprises a bottom wall and two side portions joined to opposite sides of the bottom wall. The side portions include an outer flange which extends upwardly from the bottom wall, and an inside flange depending from the outside flange which extends downwardly in spaced relation to the outside flange thereby forming a spacing therebetween. The inside flange includes spaced slots in the lowermost edge thereof. The toy shopping cart is received on the bottom wall of the platen with its wheels adjacent the side portions. The inner flanges of the side portions are folded over the wheels of the cart so that the wheels are received in the spacing between the inner and outer flanges. The spaced slots on the lower edge of the inner flange engage with the hubs of the wheels. The bottom wall includes spaced slots in a rear edge thereof which are operable for receiving the handlebars of a second shopping cart when the platen is received on top of the basket of a second shopping cart.
Accordingly, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a platen for preventing the movement of a wheeled vehicle on flat surface.
It is another object to provide a platen for stacking wheeled vehicles one on top of another.
It is still another object to provide a platen for stacking toy shopping carts on top of each other.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.